Board of Directors

Markham District Energy’s Board of Directors has representation from Markham City Council in addition to the appointment of independent Directors from the community who bring specific industry and governance expertise.

(1) Member Finance and Audit Committee
(2) Member Human Resources and Governance Committee

Jack Heath was first elected in 1997 as a Markham Ward Councillor for the east end of the city. He stepped up to Regional Councillor on York Region Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He has been Markham’s Deputy Mayor since 2008.

For the past few years, Jack has served as a Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He also serves as chair of Housing York Inc., York Region’s housing provider, a Board member of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and since 2007, Chair of Markham District Energy Inc. which is wholly-owned by the City of Markham.

Louie Shoukas is the Chief Operating Officer of Crystal Fountains Inc. Prior to this position, he worked in the power industry for over 22 years holding various positions in engineering, operations and finance.

Louie is a graduate from Toronto University earning a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. He is also a member of Professional Engineers of Ontario.

Mayor Frank Scarpitti was elected as Mayor of Markham in 2006 and 2010 and in 2014.

He was first elected to Markham Council in 1985 as a Regional Councillor. In total, the people of Markham have voted for Mayor Scarpitti eight times over 29 years.

Mayor Scarpitti also serves on York Region Council, is the current Chair of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, a member of the Region’s Finance and Administration Committee and is the Chair of York Region Police Services Board.

He is Vice Chair of PowerStream, the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, and Chair of Markham Enterprise Corporation, which owns Markham District Energy, operator of four energy plants.

Mayor Scarpitti gives time to a number of non-profit associations related to health, culture and quality of life programming. As Co-Chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Capital Campaign his efforts contributed to surpassing the $50 million goal.

He led Markham’s initiative to secure the Markham Pan Am Centre and was Co-Chair of the Markham Pan-Am Host Advisory Committee.

Mary Ellen Richardson’s career in the oil, natural gas and electricity industries spans 30 years.

Mary Ellen has held executive positions with the Canadian District Energy Association, the Ontario Power Authority and the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario.

Recently, Mary Ellen contributed as a lead author in the Mowat Centre’s report on energy planning. She has also served on numerous boards including the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Energy and Eco Canada, as well as municipal task force groups, such as the City of Vancouver’s Community Energy Advisory Committee.

Ms. Richardson holds an Honours degree in Economics, graduating with First Class Distinction. She also holds the ICD.D designation for corporate directors from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management.

Lou Colangelo is the General Manager of Toromont Energy Ltd. and has worked in the power industry for over 30 years.

His expertise in combined heat and power and district energy comes from the various leadership positions held with Toromont CAT Power Systems since 1985 and general management of Toromont’s district energy systems and cogeneration plants.

He is a graduate from Ryerson University’s Mechanical Engineering program and a member of Professional Engineers of Ontario. He is currently a member of the International District Energy Association and Association of Power Producers of Ontario serving on the APPrO Board of Directors.

Lou is an active member of the Markham community of which he has been a resident for the past 30 years and volunteers his time with Markham sports organizations and heritage initiatives.

Markham Ward 6 Councillor, Amanda Yeung Collucci, is an award-wining entrepreneur with over 20 years of business experience at IBM and is a recipient of RBC’s 2015 Top 25 Immigrant Award.

Councillor Collucci is active in giving back to the community she serves, which includes fundraising for Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Breast Cancer and Cancer Clinic and years of continuous support for the Markham Jazz Festival.

She served as a co-chair for the Castlemore Public School Parent Council helping to resolve traffic concerns surrounding the school area and voices her thoughts and concerns at the York Region Transportation Forum for future improvement.

Councillor Collucci is a frequent speaker at Centennial and Seneca Colleges promoting entrepreneurship, as well as at various forums where she shares her personal success and business experience, as well as her immigration story.

She is honoured to have the opportunity to represent local residents in the City and Ward her family has resided in for more than 15 years.

From 2006 to 2011 he served as President & CEO of the Peterborough Utilities Group.

In 2010, Electric Light & Power Magazine named him North American Utility CEO of the Year.

Prior to Peterborough Utilities Group, Larry spent 30 years with Ontario Hydro and Ontario Power Generation.

He has a BASc in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, a MBA from the University of Toronto, as well as executive training from Harvard, MIT, Stanford and the University of Chicago. He also has his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Michael Lio is a nationally recognized building expert. He is currently President of buildABILITY Corporation, a firm specializing in improving buildings across Canada.

He has served on the boards of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, the TSSA, the Electrical Safety Authority, and Tarion Warranty Corporation. For 27 years, Michael taught in the architecture programs at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

Michael is a member of Professional Engineers of Ontario. He earned his Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Engineering degrees from the University of Toronto and received his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management.

Karen Rea spent her career in the financial sector until she became a real estate agent in 2007. She was elected as the Ward 4 Councillor in October 2014 and is proud to represent all Markham residents.

Her contributions to the various boards and committees she sits on have brought innovative and new ideas forward making positive changes for the wider community. She has recently completed a Primer on Planning course.

Karen continues to be a school mentor with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of York and volunteers for the Kidney Foundation.